Author: Dr. Kathleen (Katy Sue) Tillman, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Title: Group Counseling with Elementary School Students: A Practical Guide for School Counselors.
Subject: How to run counseling groups for kids who have experienced the death of a parent or kids whose families are going through transitions like parents that are getting a divorce or separation.
How long have you been working on this?
I’ve been working on the book for four months. I wrote an article for a magazine and it was about grief counseling for kids and how to run a group and help kids out that are experiencing the death of a parent or sibling.
I got a lot of emails after that from people saying “I want to run a group on divorce, how do I do it?” and “I want to run a group on social skills and how do I do it?” I wrote the publisher of the magazine and she asked if I’d be willing to write a book. And I said, “Sure, that sounds like a good idea.”
When will it be published?
The American School Counselor Associations will publish it this June.
How is it unique?
It includes curriculum and goes over what to do each session. Do this the first time you meet with the students, this the second time, this the third time — the books that are out there don’t do that.
It’s also unique because it is designed for school counselors completely. Also, it incorporates lots of aspects of play and art, including different art techniques: puppet shows with the kids to illustrate a concept or reading a book to them and types of games.